


Two Months

by arianapeterson19



Series: Avengers Shorts [88]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epilepsy, Foster Care, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Tony, Kid Tony Stark, M/M, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, School, Seizures, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 08:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14280660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arianapeterson19/pseuds/arianapeterson19
Summary: Tony had been living with them for two months and now the kid wanted to know what was going to happen.ORThe one where Tony tours a school he may not even stay at.





	Two Months

**Author's Note:**

> I missed Epilepsy Awareness Day!!! This just wasn't ready on time, sorry.

Steve wanted to reschedule the tour and meeting because Tony had woken up tired and feeling squiggly, as the toddler explained once to how he felt before a seizure. But the older boys were already at school and Bucky had taken off work to be present at the meeting. They couldn’t reschedule.

Perhaps it would be better that way; the teachers could see warning signs.

So they walked into the school, one hour after it began, Tony resting against Bucky’s chest, awake but feeling lethargic. The principal was waiting at the office for them, smiling, which looked strange but not unpleasant.

“Welcome Tony, I’m Mr. Fury,” said the man. “I’m the principal here. How are you?”

Tony hid his face in Bucky’s neck with a small groan.

“We’re a little tired,” sighed Steve.

“He’s probably going to have a seizure later,” explained Bucky. “He said he’s feeling squiggly, which is his word for aura. Sometimes they happen right away and sometimes we have several hours to a day.”

“Okay, we’ll keep an eye on that and put it in his file,” said Mr. Fury. “Let’s keep this as stress-free as possible. Mr. Maximoff has a free period right now, so let’s tour his room while it’s quiet.”

Mr. Maximoff’s kindergarten room was two doors down from the office, painted in a calming green. There were stations set up around a central carpet. Mr. Maximoff was dressed in track pants and a suit jacket over a button up shirt and tie. His hair was a silver grey, though he couldn’t be older than mid-thirties.

“Mr. Maximoff, this is Tony, your new student,” announced Mr. Fury. “He’ll be starting next week.”

Hello Tony,” said Mr. Maximoff, smiling wide and boxy. “I’m Mr. Maximoff. My favorite color is silver and I love turtles. What’s your favorite color?”

“Red,” replied Tony softly.

“Red is a good one,” agreed Mr. Maximoff. “Do you want to get down and explore the classroom? I’ve got some pretty cool things to discover.”

“No thank you,” said Tony, leaning closer to Bucky, as if that were even possible.

“Maybe in a little while then,” said Mr. Maximoff easily. “Then right now I’m going to talk to your adults about you. If you have anything you want to share, you let me know.”

Tony nodded tiredly. Bucky and Steve sat in the small chairs with Mr. Fury and Mr. Maximoff. Tony dozed lightly while Steve explained the situation. The school was already familiar with the foster care system and Steve and Bucky’s family in particular, so most of the time was spent focused on Tony’s needs and how to handle a seizure. Tony would start with half days and build up from there. Tony could already read and do simple math problems and he was working on writing, so even though he was four, he could have handled being in at least second grade academically. However, they were going to keep him in kindergarten for the year and reevaluate at the end of the year if he could handle moving farther up. Steve was concerned that a sudden change to everyday school stress Tony’s little body too much. Mr. Fury and Mr. Maximoff both assured them that they would work hard to provide a safe and happy environment for Tony. By the end of the meeting, it was time for Mr. Maximoff’s class to return from Music class so Steve, Bucky, Tony, and Mr. Fury left to show Tony the rest of the school.

They made it almost all the way through the tour, all the way back to Mr. Fury’s before the seizure hit. Bucky calmly settled Tony on the carpet of his side, rolling his jacket and sliding it under the child’s head, glancing at his watch to check the time.

“You’re okay, buddy,” said Bucky calmly. “You’re okay. Just ride it out, good job. That’s my boy. Almost done, almost over kiddo.”

By two minutes and thirty-four seconds, it was over. Mr. Fury observed the entire process, taking notes to make sure he could keep his student safe. When it was over, Tony was gasping and crying, so Bucky scooped him up and cuddled him close.

“He’s going to be emotional for a while,” explained Steve. “He’s wearing a pull-up but his bladder always releases during a seizure, so we’ll keep clean pants here for him. Call Clint or Phil out to help him change his pants.”

“Make sure to call Steve to come get him,” added Bucky. “He’ll spend the rest of the day disoriented and clingy. It’s pretty scary for us to watch but he doesn’t really remember it, he just gets really emotional.”

“I’ll pass this on to all the teachers who interact with Tony.”

They said their farewells and Bucky and Steve stopped in the family restroom to change Tony before driving home. Tony wept the entire time, heartbreaking, tired, scared sobs. Bucky sat in the back, speaking to the young child. What made it so hard was that Tony wasn’t crying something Steve of Bucky could fix, he just couldn’t understand why his body was rebelling against him.

When they got home, Bucky carried Tony inside and settled on the couch together while Steve made them a snack. He would have to go pick up the older boys soon but wasn’t too worried since Bucky was home to stay with Tony. After a seizure, all Tony wanted to do was sleep and cuddle. Often he cried but that wasn’t something he wanted to do, it just happened.

“How you doing, kiddo?” asked Steve after a while, pushing Tony’s hair out of his face to get a look at his tear streaked cheeks.

“You going to return me now?” asked Tony, sniffling.

“What?” asked Steve, not sure why the kid was asking such a question.

“Two months is today,” hiccupped Tony. “You said I could stay for two months. Where am I going now?”

“Oh, honey, no,” said Bucky. “I’m sorry, we should have told you. We talked to your case worker. We’re going to keep you for as long as we can. Until your mom and dad earn you back, you’re going to live with us.”

“Can I stay forever?” 

“Your mom and dad haven’t said that’s okay, sweetie.”

“I like it here,” sobbed Tony. “I – I like you! I don’t want to go a-a-away!”

Bucky and Steve shared equally heartbroken looks over the kid’s head. They wanted this kid to stay with them and while they knew that foster care was a temporary solution, two months with Tony was not long enough and they secretly hoped that the kid’s parents would sign over their rights so Tony could be adopted into their family.

**Author's Note:**

> I am diligently working on "Lost" and a different short. If anyone wants to teach me how to link chapters to tumblr, that'd be great.
> 
> Working 15 hours every day this week, so I'm hoping to be productive in the downtime and write. We shall see.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari


End file.
